Manipulation
by Michelle167
Summary: Talia schemes behind the scenes to find a way to protect her interests. Expands on scenes in Visionary.


This is a short fic expanding on a couple of scenes in the Teen Wolf episode Visionary (and adding a couple of scenes as well). What if Talia Hale is not the nice person we have been led to believe she is?

My apologies for only using Peter in the character submission form (at least he does have a small role in this)...It seems Talia Hale has been left off the list of Teen Wolf characters (but they included Braedon?...go figure). I mean Talia is a Hale!...we will be seeing her again. lol I better stop before I start ranting.

I do not own Teen Wolf

* * *

"It's his right," Talia replied. "We're not the only people to adhere to rituals thousands of years old."

"Which is no excuse for not evolving," Deucalion countered.

"They ripped his claws right out of his fingers. How is that evolving?" Ennis interrupted.

Talia's held back the seething anger that burned within her. Outwardly she appeared calm, inwardly she could have ripped out Deucalion's throat. The packs would never have been in her territory at all if it were not for him...and because of him, her son and brother had almost been killed.

At the thought of Peter, she wondered what he was thinking as he took all of this in. His presence may have escaped the other packs as they were distracted, but Talia was not so easily deceived.

"Less to explain to him later," she thought.

"Don't make us part of a historical cliche. With two such powers, it never ends at an eye for an eye. A skirmish becomes a war. A murder becomes a massacre. And we end up no better than our enemies."

Deucalion's word's only fueled Talia's ire. His presence had endangered her family and for what...so that he could stroke his own ego with his grandiose idea of bringing the werewolves and hunters into a golden era of peace.

A small part of her felt a hint of smug satisfaction when Ennis clawed the vendetta sign into the wall, never the less for the safety of her family the situation would still have to be dealt with...on her terms.

* * *

"How long has he been seeing this girl?" she asked.

"A few weeks," Peter answered.

Talia sighed.

"Like he needs to have his head in the clouds right now," she exclaimed.

Peter shrugged and looked away. She wondered what went on in that head of his. Surely he could see how dangerous it was for Derek to be distracted when the tensions with the hunters were so high.

"The girls in the way...and he's too young."

Peter stared at her.

"Well he is," she reaffirmed, "He's only 15. He has no idea what love is."

"What are you going to do...forbid him to see her?" Peter asked.

"If I have to," she said confidently.

Peter sighed. "What about Ennis and the Argents...what are you going to do about them?"

That was the real problem...not Derek and his raging hormones. She had to calm the situation down before it all led back to her family.

"I need to find a way to get Ennis to back down before it gets out of control."

"I thought that Deucalion already tried that," Peter replied.

Talia laughed.

"Deucalion," she muttered, "His high ideas are what got us in this mess to begin with. If he had just stayed in his own territory...led his own pack the way he was supposed to none of this would have happened. He wants to change everything, you know...all the traditions we've held for thousands of years. He sees himself as a visionary, but in truth...he's blind."

Peter nodded silently in agreement.

"But right now Deucalion is not the immediate threat," she continued, "No...what we need is something to quell Ennis's anger over losing his beta."

"Or someone" Peter offered.

Talia smiled.

Peter had quickly become an asset since becoming her confidant. She dreaded the day he realized he no longer needed her...that day he would become a danger to her...a threat to her postition...but today was not that day.

"And thankfully, he's not distracted...not like Derek," she thought.

And then it dawned on her...she felt triumphant as the answer became so clear...it was the answer to all her problems.

"Exactly, Peter, not something but someone...someone to become his new beta," she replied.

Peter raised his eyebrows.

"I know that look...you already have someone in mind," he said.

"Of course I do...the girl Derek is seeing...what's her name?"

Peter looked dumbfounded.

"Paige? But she's only 15...I doubt Ennis will want someone that young."

"Ennis will accept her if he thinks it's what I want," she replied. "He wants my favor just like the rest of them...let him know that if he does this for me, he'll have it."

"And what about Derek...you don't think he's going to be suspicious that his girlfriend was singled out?" Peter asked.

Talia shook her head.

"Don't you see Peter...Derek is the one that's going to make the request...you're going to convince him that if he wants to be with her forever...she's going to have to be turned," she explained, "And you make sure Ennis knows to keep his mouth shut about my involvement...Derek must never know...with any luck after the girl is turned Ennis will calm down and leave Beacon Hills."

"...taking Paige with him," Peter finished.

Talia smiled coldly, "Exactly...we'll kill two birds with one stone."

* * *

"While I admire your willingness to extend an olive branch, I have to tell you, it might not be welcome," Deaton said.

And I'm not sure that Gerard is the one to accept it," Talia added.

"It's true. The Argents have a matriarchal leadership," Deaton agreed.

"Actually, I was speaking about the fact that he's a complete psychopath. The man cuts people in half with a broadsword," Talia answered.

Talia would continue to play it cool...to seemingly support Deucalion as much as she could. If she could fool Deaton, surely Deucalion would be easy. None of this would have even been necessary if her plan with the girl had worked.

She shrugged off the pain of guilt that threatened to ignite within her. The look on Peter's face had said it all when he told her that Paige was dead. Derek would bear the mark of her mistake...he had been forever changed, and there was nothing she could do about it. How was she to know the girl would reject the bite? The event had only caused her to re-focus her hatred on Deucalion...it was all his fault. Everything had started with him.

"And it will end with him as well," she thought.

"Do the two of you really have so little faith in people? You think Gerard isn't worried about the deaths on his own side?" asked Deucalion.

Talia's mind drifted back to the conversation. And there it was...Deucalion's arrogance. He thought he knew so much but he really knew so little. She had dealt with the Gerard for years...she knew him...knew how he operated. She knew what was at stake. She also knew Gerard would sacrifice anything...even his own people to get what he wanted.

"And Deucalion thinks he's going to save us...to be the one to herald us into a new era of peace," she thought, "little does he know..."

Talia stifled the smile that threatened to cross her lips.

"Your faith in humanity may not matter if you underestimate Gerard's nature," Deaton warned.

Shaken from her thoughts, Talia continued with her charade of support.

"Make sure you meet him on neutral ground. And do not walk in there alone."

"I'm an Alpha. I never walk alone," he answered.

* * *

"And why shouldn't I take you out right here?" Gerard asked.

"Because I can give you the one things you want...the name of the werewolf that bit your brother," Talia answered.

Gerard smirked.

"Why should I trust you, Talia Hale?"

"Because we have a mutual interest."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"The wolf that bit your brother...he wants to change things...change our ways...he's a visionary...he wants to save us...and we don't need saving. He wants to bring peace between the werewolves and hunters."

Gerard let out a loud laugh.

"Peace...between werewolves and hunters...now I've heard it all...okay, Talia Hale, you've got my attention...what is it you want?"

"I give him to you and you leave my family alone...this little vendetta with Ennis does not come near my family...none of them...I don't care how you handle Ennis and his pack, but you leave the Hales out of it...all of them." Talia offered.

"So...you want your family's safety in exchange for my brother's killer and Ennis and his pack?" Gerard asked.

"That's the deal," she affirmed.

Gerard shrugged.

"Sounds like a fair enough deal to me...I have no problem with you and your family...for now."

Talia noted the tone in Gerard's voice. She had no doubt that with another target to focus on, he would leave her family out of it.

"...but for how long," she wondered.

She wasn't stupid. She knew eventually, she would once again be in his crosshairs, but what choice did she have at this point. It was the only way to keep her loved ones safe. At least it would give her time to come up with a plan.

"And I will get rid of you as well, Gerard Argent," she thought.

"Then we have a deal?" asked Talia.

Gerard nodded.

"Deal...what's his name?"

"Deucalion...his name is Deucalion...he's the one that's arranged a meeting with you...he wants to talk peace...and he's not coming alone."

The hunter's eyes widened.

"That's a little convenient isn't it...that the man who killed my brother just happens to be on his way to meet with me?"

Talia noted Gerard's tight, thin, snake-like smile. She pursed her lips in a thin line in return.

"Never the less...he is the one who bit your brother," she affirmed.

For a minute Gerard hesitated, and Talia subconsciously held her breath.

"He doesn't believe me," she thought.

"Very well then...a deal's a deal...I'll take your word for it."

Despite her distrust of him, his words caused Talia to relax a little. It seemed the deal was still on and Talia turned to leave. She was shocked when Gerard grabbed her wrist and prevented her from doing so. Angrily she turned to face her nemesis.

Gerard smiled wickedly.

"How easy is it Talia...to sell out one of your own kind?"

Enraged she jerked out of Gerard's grasp.

"He' not one of my kind...I follow the old ways...thousands of years of traditions...I don't need his so called evolution...look at how many alphas he's brought into my territory!" she exclaimed.

Gerard laughed, "And those alphas follow him...not you. That's really what it's all about isn't it...not so much about your family, as it is about some other alpha threatening your reign of power."

Talia tensed somewhat at his insinuation but did not deny his claim.

"Like you have room to talk...avenge your brother or not, Gerard...but if you do...do me a favor...take out his eyes...a visionary without his vision...the punishment seems fitting...don't you think?"

And with that Talia shifted and was gone, leaving Gerard to plan his next move.


End file.
